Most shoppers choose a computer based on the processing speeds, storage capacity, and features like a touchscreen, good keyboard, or inking capabilities. However, just as important as choosing a keyboard with the right key travel, having a proper mouse can make your computing experience more pleasurable — a poorly designed touchpad on a laptop or a finicky desktop mouse can wreak havoc on ergonomics, inducing wrist-related injuries over prolonged use.
On the laptop side, manufacturers like Apple builds its MacBooks with larger touchpads to make navigating the operating system easier and perform gestures. With Windows, even though touchscreens help reduce the reliance on touchpads , the cursor remains a vital component to that experience, so having a good mouse on call, whether you’re using a desktop or a laptop, is important.
So how do you like to click with your computer? Whether you’re a serious gamer, a data cruncher relying on a mobile workstation, or a casual desktop user, an external mouse provides lots of benefits — more precise tracking, vibration feedback, and some even come with wireless charging — not the least of which is improved ergonomics.
How do you “click” with your computer? Whether it’s for work or for play, which kind of mouse do you use most on a daily basis?
(Please RT for a greater sample size)
— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) April 16, 2018
According to the results of our poll so far, it looks like a lot of people enjoy the convenience of a wireless mouse most. It’s followed up closely by non-mouse users who rely solely on their laptop’s touchpad to interact with their computer, as well as traditional wired mouse users. As mouse technology continues to improve with more precision tracking, you have a lot of different options in both wireless and wired mice.
In last place was gaming mice, which isn’t too shocking. While they’re the most technologically advanced input devices, they’re often gaudy and inappropriate for the office or coffee shop setting. But if you’re a gamer, you’ll no doubt enjoy the programmable buttons and more precise input. A few even offer programmable lighting and vibration feedback.
There’s a few other niche tracking methods we’ve left out, such as the trackball. You might think not, but the trackball is still very much alive and well, thanks to Logitech’s MX Ergo. In terms of other unorthodox pointing methods, you can also still buy business class laptops from Lenovo with the legendary red ThinkPad trackpoint.
Regardless of whatever solution “clicks” with you, just remember that it should do what you need — which is to track your cursor accurately — and to provide you with comfort to minimize wrist injury.